Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-05-07
"REMINISCENCES OF PUBLIC ZEN
BY BEN: pERLEY PooRE.

UkAOo S0u4ps pC4Ao UAO AOAAO SOON
story about him, which he locates at
Boston, in 1877: The two went to call
on medium. They were shown many
wonders, and at last the Judge was
told to write list of names on a slip
of paper, which being done, he was in
structed to ron his finger down the
list and stop when the acc STONED rap
on the table was heard. When he got
to the middle of the list violent blow
was struck upon the table Thereupon
long conversation ensued between the
Judge and the materialized spirit,
in which were rehearsed many aston
ishing facts (most of which the Judge
had ingeniously managed to drop in
the opening of the conversation with
the medium). Finally the exhibitor
suspected something, and the "spirit"
abruptly departed. Then the Judge
fell into a brown study, from viii, n it
was difficult to arouse him. Suddenly
looking up, he said, with the most adj
mirably assumed tone of astonishment
and conviction, "This is the most re-
markable thing I ever dreamed OF. I
almost doubt the power of Cmnipo-
tence to equal it. "Ah," says the
medium, II can show you greater
things than that" Further converse
ton ensued in q similar strain, when
Judge Bond burst out with: "But I
tell you, sir, I challenge the Almighty
to do such thing. Why, sir, can you
believe it? I left that gentleman not
twenty minutes ago on the steps of the
Parker /. ouse" At this the medium
naturally became furious and exclaim-
ed: Il told you to write the names of
dead men on that list" mo" replied
Judge Bond, with look of childlike
simpli ity, you did not; you told me
to write the names of friends, and
I did so. There isn't the name of
single dead man on that list" It is
needless to add that the Judge and his
friend departed without ceremony.
William Writ was Attorney General
of the United States when I first visit
ed Washington as boy, but I do not
know that I ever saw him. The de-
scriptions of him represent him as tall,
with an inclination to corpulency; his
countenance was @sicklied DER with the
pale cast of thought" his mouth was
finely formed, and q physiognomist
would have noted that the compression
of his lips denoted frmness, and his
smile good-humored irony. He had q
Roman nose, the eye of cerulean blue,
with remarkably arch expression
when he was animated, and of calm
thoughtfulness when his features were
in repose. His forehead was not high,
but it was broad, with the phrenologi-
cal development strongly marked
particularly the poetic and perceptive
faculties. His hair was sandy, and his
head bald on the top, which, with
Byronian anxiety, he tried to hide by
combing the hair up over the badness,
and it was much his custom, when en-
gagged in an oratorical display, to pre-
serve its adjustments by passing his
hands over it. He was much more
careful in this regard than was the elo-
quent and chivalric Preston, who,
though he wore wig, seemed not only
Indifferent as to who knew it, but of
the wig itself; for in the sturdy breeze
which blew over the Canton course at
the Baltimore convention, it nearly left
him, he the while apparently uncon-
scious, as he fulmined to the vast and
wrspt multitude. Well, the Carolinian
may not have loved the laurel, as
Caesar did, because it hid his badness;
but he deserved to have it voted to him
for his eloquence.
When the lamented Gen. Hayne was
travelling from Lexington to Cincin-
natl, in the summer of 1888, q period
of excessive drought, in company with
Gen. Taylor of Newport, KY. Gen.
Taylor was very careful to point out to
his illustrious guest and name the
different rivers which they passed or
crossed, and often, in riding over bed
of naked rock, Gen. Taylor would OBJ
serve, Seen. Hsyne, this is the river
-" to which Gen. Hayne would re-
ply, with good-humored sarcasm, ut is
fortunate we have you to tell us of it,
General, for thought we were CROSS
ing one of your macadamized roads,"
So severe had been the drought that
many formidable winter rivers were
thoroughly dried up by the summers
heat, unrelieved by any supply from
the heavens.
The late Col Heating Simonds was
one day arguing q case in court, in
which the late esteemed Col. Harry
Bacot IN. II. Bacot, Esq, who was
rather of diminutive proportions, was
the opposing counsel, and missing
large folio volume which he (Col.
had brought with him into
court, to use as an authority, he
moved himself from side to side look
ing for it, e1claiming: "What has be-
come of my law? All" said he, with
ready wit, on espying it, at the same
time lifting up his tall form to its full
est stature, Il see how it is; my learned
and ingenious friend, not content with
using potent argument and his own au-
thorities against me, has actually bot
toned himself on my law!" and point
ing to the huge volume serving as an
elevated seat for his diminutive and
adversary, he drew it from
ito hiding-place amidst the almost un-